Former Education Minister, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi has said that Ghana's democracy could be deepened only when the country has a literate population that can digest issues to influence the voting patterns during elections. 

The newly appointed Board Chairman of the Public Procurement Authority who is also aspiring for the NPP Chairmanship made this remark at a ceremony to mark this year’s International Literacy Day at Techiman in the Bono East Region.

"How wonderful would it appear if we get to a level where democracy in this country provided us an opportunity to look at issues rather than to depend on GHC5 or GHC10 in deciding where to vote. We can achieve this only when we achieve some level of literacy," he said.

The programme, organised by the Non-Formal Education Division (NFPD) of the Ministry of Education was celebrated under the theme, "Complementary Education for Human Development in Covid-19 Era: The Role of Education".

He commended the Ministry of Education for bringing about the needed transformation to the Non-Formal Division and recounted the role the Department of Social Welfare and the Information Service Department played in educating the large number of the population that had not had any formal education.

"It is important that we commend the Non-Formal Division together with the Education Ministry for the tremendous roles they played in educating the people who have not had the opportunity to be in school whilst they were young," he added. 

He again acknowledged the efforts being made by the management of the then NFED to help a huge percent of the youth who were running through the streets and did not have formal education.

The former Techiman North MP called on Ghanaians to acknowledge the impact of Covid-19 as a global pandemic and come out with more technological initiatives to mitigate its impact on the local economy.

"The theme for this occasion is drawing our attention to how Covid-19 has disrupted almost every activity of the human existence including principally education. We have to therefore be quite innovative in finding ways of using virtual means of doing things to benefit ourselves and the community we live in".

Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the free access to knowledge provided by Information, Communication and Technology to develop themselves to be able to face the challenges that modernization pose to them.

Among other dignitaries at the programme were Bono East Regional Minister, Kwasi Adu-Gyan, Deputy Education Minister, Gifty Twum Ampofo, MMDCEs for Techiman North and South, the Non-Formal Division amongst others.